Left Wing

    Our high school held three grades, with ninth grade being in the junior high building. So it was not until 10^th grade that I actually really felt like I was in high school. And then things seemed a little more serious about doing extracurriculars so we could give the appearance at least of being well-rounded individuals on our college applications. The give the appearance phrase was cynically tongue in cheek. I think for the most part we were sincere in our attempts at well-roundedness.

       In tenth grade, one of the things I did was participate in most of the girls after school intramural sports teams (that's okay, my parents laughed every time I mentioned it also,) and somehow, the field hockey team turned out to be not intramural but rather we played other schools and the gym teacher was the coach and everything. There were no tryouts. So that meant I was on the team, but only on the field during practice, not during the actual games. I remember the look on the gym teacher's face, Miss Byrnes, toward the end of one game – our eyes met, and she motioned for me to go ahead and get on the field. Her expression was one of pity, and in the game I was pitiful. And that was my sole experience with competitive team sports in high school.

        The intramural stuff was seasonal – basketball for a while and volleyball for a while – those are the only two I remember participating in other than the field hockey. We had our own teams and no coaches. I was a terrible player – and what I lacked in skill I tried to make up for in goofiness, but that was not really appreciated by the others.

        There was a girls sports club that met at night too. One night per month at the gym. If we missed two months in a row we were no longer in the club – and so I would ask my parents for a ride every other month, and yes, again, they would laugh at the mention of my doing anything sports related.

         At the gym those nights I most remember the wrestling room which was in the mezzanine – that was the first time I ever heard the word mezzanine – what was it about the room that made it a mezzanine? The mats that smell like sweat? I wondered. We did not wrestle in that room, I think we did exercises or maybe just sat around and chatted.

      It was not too many months into my junior year that I dropped out of the monthly girls sports club; and even though I enjoyed field hockey, I was careful not to sign up for the next season team.

     Years and years later I have realized I am not much of a team player in any aspect of my life.

       But I do goofy well.

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